If you live in a chalet, whether semi-detached, semi-detached or single-family, and you have a garage with an automatic door, you will be able to open and close the door from your smartphone or tablet in a really simple way. In order to do this, it is necessary that the motor of the automatic door can be wired, nowadays the vast majority of motors such as those of the Nice brand allow this, so you will be able to install a device for only 20 euros to open and close the door locally (on the same WiFi network) and also through the Internet. Do you want to know what device it is and how to install it?
Control your garage door from your mobile
Today there are many alternatives and options to open the garage door from our smartphone. Some options allow us to open the door only locally if we are within the Bluetooth range of our smartphone, on other occasions it also allows us to open the door remotely even if we are miles from home, and they use WiFi connectivity to connect to the Internet and enable this functionality. Depending on your needs and also your budget, you will be able to purchase different devices to perform this action.
The first option that we are going to recommend is a Shelley 1, a very small relay switch that we can put right in the motor control unit of our automatic garage door. This device has the following characteristics:
- Control the opening and closing of the garage through the app, either on the local network or through the Internet thanks to the use of the Cloud.
- It allows voice control, to use Amazon Alexa or the Google assistant and open or close the door.
- It has Wi-Fi connectivity at 2.4GHz, it connects directly to the router, no type of hub is necessary.
- It allows to program an automatic closing of the door after a certain time, for example, 2 minutes.
- It integrates perfectly with Home Assistant, to centrally manage all home automation.
- This Shelly 1 has dry contacts, that is, it does not provide any type of current on the IO outputs.
- It allows several people to log in with the app, to share the opening and closing.
The way of connection is quite simple, we have to feed it with alternating current in the N (neutral) and L (phase) contacts, although it also supports DC if we want. In the IO contacts is where we must connect the outputs of the motor that you have to make a brief contact, and allow the opening and closing of the automatic door.
The second option that we recommend is Parking Door. This device is specifically designed for the opening and closing of automatic garage doors. It is valid for any type of motorized doors, either wireless or wired, depending on the door we have. This device allows control and management of the accesses made, it does not have any maintenance or subscription fee.
The way of opening is through the GPS location and Bluetooth, in this way, we can open the door simply by pressing the open button, since it will not open automatically for greater security. By having Bluetooth range, you should know that the distance is limited, approximately 10 meters, so you should take it into account.
Lastly, the device HOMYHUB It is one of the most recommended, although it is also the most expensive of all the options. This device allows us to open the garage door based on our GPS and Bluetooth location, although in this case it allows us to open the door automatically, or do it manually for more security. This device is also integrated with the Alexa and Google Assistant assistants, in addition, it also works with Android Wear and Apple Watch to easily open the garage door from our smartwatch.
Other features of this device is that it can be connected via WiFi, Ethernet and even 4G. It tells us if the door is open or closed based on sensors that come in the starter kit. We will also be able to open and close the door remotely through the Internet, ideal for the courier to leave the packages in our garage when we are not at home. This solution has a really complete application to provide temporary or unlimited permissions to different contacts.
